This invention relates to a covering such as a floor mat to be placed on a floor portion of an automotive vehicle and the like, and a method for producing a covering.
There has been known a conventional covering comprising a surface layer such as a carpet and a backing layer such as a felt which is placed on an underside surface of the surface layer. In such covering, the backing layer gives an effect of absorbing sound and insulating heat.
The above-mentioned covering exhibits better sound absorbing and heat insulating effect when being placed on the automotive floor in accordance with the shape of automotive floor. In an attempt to attain this purpose, there has been conducted a method of producing the covering shaped in accordance with the shape of automotive floor: in which a base layer of a surface layer (carpet) which is composed of, e.g., latex, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinylchloride, ethylene vinylacetate (EVA) resin and the like is heated with a heater, the surface layer together with the base layer is compressed and shaped in a mold in accordance with the shape of automotive floor, and then, a felt material (backing layer) which has been compressed to attain a certain hardness suitable for absorbing sound and insulating heat is adhered to an underside surface of the carpet, specifically, an underside surface of the base layer of the carpet. The above effects can be further improved by attaching additional members such as silencer and heat insulating member if such high performance of absorbing sound and insulating heat are to be sought.
However, the above method has been conducted mainly with human labor in which workers manually attach the backing layer onto the underside surface of the surface layer. This is not favorable in improving productivity and rather hinders the idea of enhancing productivity.
Another problem has been involved in the conventional method. Whereas the surface layer having a proper shape in accordance with the shape of automotive floor can be easily obtained according to the molding process, it is difficult to shape the backing layer in accordance with the shape of automotive floor because the backing layer is made of a felt. Accordingly, complicated and cumbersome manual operations are required in attaching the backing layer to the surface layer in accordance with the shape of automotive floor, lowering efficiency of attaching operation and resulting in an increase of production cost of the covering.
To solve the above problem, generally, the following method shown in FIG. 14 has been carried out. In this method, a backing layer 22 is attached to essential part of a surface layer 21 discontinuously to obtain a covering 20. In other words, the backing layer 22 is attached to at least some portions of the surface layer 21 where attaching is regarded to be essential in absorbing sound and insulating heat. Thus, efforts have been made to maintain efficiency of producing the covering at a certain level (avoiding cumbersome attaching operation), while maintaining the functions as a covering (sound absorbance and heat insulation).
However, accompanied by recent demands of seeking comfortable riding in an automotive vehicle, there has been a great demand for higher performance of absorbing sound and insulating heat. Accordingly, the conventional covering having been partially attached with the backing layer on the surface layer does not suffice this demand, and an improved covering has been demanded.
Also, provision of additional members such as silencer and heat insulating member raises the production cost and produces a bulky covering. Accordingly, there is a demand for a covering capable of improving the effect of sound absorbance and heat insulation without the provision of dedicated silencer and heat insulating member.